Will Kimbrough excited to hit hometown stage at Bayfest 2011

Here’s a dirty little secret: Will Kimbrough’s upcoming appearance at BayFest isn’t just his first appearance at the festival — though it definitely is that. Surprisingly, it’s also the first time he’s been to BayFest at all.

Maybe that shouldn’t be such a big surprise. When BayFest was launched in the mid-‘90s, Mobile native Kimbrough was already based in Nashville. Will & the Bushmen, the band that had taken him from Mobile to the Music City, had run its course, and he was in the early stages of scratching out a career as a sideman, solo artist and record producer.

That effort brought him some notable success over the years. He’s performed in legendary songwriter Rodney Crowell’s band and more recently has played in Emmylou Harris’s touring band.

“It’s been great,” he said of the ongoing tour with Harris. “I can picture the day I went to the Record Bar on Airport Boulevard and bought Gram Parsons’ record. ... If you had told me then that I would be playing guitar for her, I would have told you you were crazy. So it’s wonderful.”

Strange but true: former Bushmen drummer Bryan Owings is also backing Harris. “Half of the Bushmen are playing in Emmylou Harris’ band,” Kimbrough noted.

He’s also played with Jimmy Buffett, who’s recorded several songs written or co-written by Kimbrough, including “Wings,” “Nobody From Nowhere” and “Piece of Work.”

But as his star has slowly, steadily risen, he’s never played BayFest. For his local fans, it’s been a long time coming, and Kimbrough says he feels the same way.

“It has,” he said. “I’m real excited to come play. It should be fun.”

Kimbrough said he’ll be backed by a full band at BayFest — which means he’ll get to rock out more on guitar than he does in his solo appearances. He’s scheduled to appear at 5:30 p.m. Saturday on the AT&T/Saad Healthcare Stage.

That puts him right before Wet Willie, another act with Mobile roots. For Kimbrough, it’ll be coming full circle. He sometimes crosses paths with Wet Willie frontman Jimmy Hall in Nashville, and holds both him and the band in high regard, he said.

“I’m a big fan of his and a big fans of theirs, so to get to go before them, that’s exciting,” he said. “Some of my first concerts I ever saw was seeing Wet Willie ... Jimmy looks great, and he sounds great. I mean, his voice sounds pretty much like it did in 1974, which is amazing.”